Around Town – August 8, 2019

Congratulations to Nathaniel (Than) Volk and Miriam Chaves Garcia who were married in Utah on May 10. Than is the son of Mary and Tim Volk. He grew up in Charlotte, attending Charlotte Central School and CVU. Miriam is from Irapuato, Mexico. They live and work in the Salt Lake City area.

Congratulations to several individuals, businesses or locations in or connected to Charlotte that were listed among the many cited in an insert titled “Seven Daysies” in the July 31–August 7 issue of Seven Days. In Full Bloom is a florist shop on Shelburne Road in Shelburne that was voted Best Florist. It is owned and run by mother/daughter team, Kris Engstrom and Britta Johnson. Kris has sold flowers in the area for nearly 40 years. Britta is a graphic designer by training and gives their floral arrangements freshness and interesting composition. Mt. Philo State Park was voted the Best State Park in Vermont. Its 968-foot peak overlooks expansive views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks and is easily accessible by car or hiking path. The Old Lantern Inn and Barn was selected as one of the top six Wedding Venues in the state.

Sympathy is extended to family and friends of Edward H. Klumpp of Hinesburg who died July 29 at the Green Mountain Nursing Home, Colchester, at the age of 92. A woodworker whose business evolved into house construction, Klumpp and his wife, Janet, moved from South Newfane to Charlotte where he built several homes before opening an antique shop in North Ferrisburgh called Red Sled Antiques.

Town Bite:
Country singers, cars and Habitats
Heritage Ford and Toyota, owned by the Machaverns of Charlotte, has hooked up with popular country and western singer Jamie Lee Thurston to promote affordable housing in the area through Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity. Habitat has a long history of building affordable houses in Chittenden County, having built 80 houses over a 35-year span in the region. Their partnership with Heritage continues that tradition.

The group recently completed a three-bedroom house in Burlington’s north end with the financial and volunteer support of Heritage and its staff plus the usual labor from Habitat volunteers. As Jamie says on a TV commercial for the project, the more volunteers, the faster things go on the house. Habitat owners are required to contribute to their house’s construction through a minimum “sweat equity” of 250 hours as the house goes up. Charlotte has seen houses off Albert’s Way north and Greenbush Road south as recent Habitat projects. In each build, a project manager is on site during the construction to guide its completion and teach volunteers in effective methods.

A special Habitat operation called “Women Build” occurred in July at sites in Milton and Convent Square, Burlington. Teams of women volunteers from Burton Boards, PC Construction, the UVM Medical Center and Polli Properties joined together to construct these homes (one a duplex) for three families.

Interested volunteers should contact Habitat.